Not quite vanquished

CHRISTIANITY has been almost totally vanquished, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, has told his clergy - at least as a background to people's lives and to the government of Britain.

That much has been clear for some time. God does not figure largely in the structure of society. We have grown used to the virtual extinction of religious observance as a thing done naturally because everyone does it. In this sense, the cardinal's opinion accords with that of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, who recently remarked that, in Britain, "tacit atheism prevails".

Are the reasons for this deChristianisation those that the cardinal suggests? In his eyes, people embrace consumerism, alcohol, drugs and casual sex, not to mention New Age practices, in preference to Christianity. It may be true that these pastimes fill hours once devoted to religion, but behind the change there is also an idea of what freedom means. Many British people feel that freedom allows them to pursue material goods to bring happiness. In America, by contrast, Christianity itself is often associated with the free choice people make to follow their own way. While churchgoing has dwindled in Britain, it has thrived in America, with more than half the population worshipping regularly.

But if Christianity in Britain is "almost vanquished", the cardinal was careful to include the "almost". No Christian can believe that the religion founded by Christ will ultimately fail; every Christian expects betrayal, martyrdom and apparent defeat. Although the social neglect of Christianity may not be exactly welcome, it does present Christians in Britain with an opportunity to get themselves started again without the props of society.

The motive power of a Christian revival depends more on the people than on the clergy. It must come as no surprise that they lack the understanding of the people among whom they live. That, as anyone can see from the Acts of the Apostles, was the common experience of early Christians. If present-day "tacit atheists" cannot understand the faith of Christianity, they might sympathise with that faith put into practice.

If people are happy in vague theory to leave their children's education to the state, they find in fact that Church schools are sought after, for the underpinning of discipline and ethics they offer. Few people with a terminal illness would choose to end up in an NHS hospital if they could go to a hospice inspired by Christian respect for individual dignity. Christians doing good works are not seen as humbugs; their behaviour is part and parcel of their beliefs.

In future, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor sees little place for the parish system without the support of the so-called "new movements", vigorous associations of lay people. Such support is indeed more important than ever, but it would be a disaster if the parish system failed. Like the bobby on the beat, the parish gives a background of stability; you do not appreciate the presence of one until you suffer from the absence.